Ship & Grow 500k+ User Side Projects [Part 17] - Social Media

Social media is incredibly powerful, but there's a harsh power law where 90%+ of users can't extract anything useful from it. This lesson teaches you:

- Why social media is the most inorganic way to get users, which is why you probably shouldn't do it
- 2 of the more powerful social media channels for sharing side projects in particular
- Tips for getting traffic through LinkedIn and why it's a great fit
- How to leverage Reddit effectively, explained with an in-depth example
- The new era way to build a successful product through community and when social media makes sense for you as a traffic acquisition mechanism

Here's how Alex succeeds on LinkedIn: [\[Case Study\] How I Get 500,000+ LinkedIn Post Views Per Week](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/tmSAAWJjLcLWqeGWOl4t/case-study-how-i-get-500000-linkedin-post-views-per-week/?playlistId=m62jZgEt7wpL1CC1OdHj)

If you're interested in the Reddit case study, here's the subreddit: <https://www.reddit.com/r/TheRaceTo10Million/>

How Managers Hire Great Engineers [Part 14] - ATS Lookup

When recruiting, you should do your best to ensure the best candidate experience. This is critical during the outreach phase. From this lesson, you will:

- Understand the necessity of verifying candidate information in the ATS to ensure they have not been recently rejected or contacted for other roles
- Learn about different ATS platforms like Greenhouse and Ashby, and how they can help manage candidate interactions
- Discover how to coordinate with recruiting teams to cross-check a list of potential candidates to avoid redundant or inappropriate contacts
- Gain insights into the typical cooling-off periods between rejections and new outreach, which can range from 6 to 12 months depending on company policy

Connect with John Egan on LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/jwegan/>

How Managers Hire Great Engineers [Part 13] - Get Their Email Address

Even though it's been around forever, email is still a great way to reach people. From this lesson, you will:

- Learn about Clearbit and its tendency to provide corporate email addresses, which may not be ideal for reaching out to potential candidates
- Discover how to use Gmail to predict personal email addresses by experimenting with common naming conventions
- Understand how to use social media handles as a potential lead to guess a candidate's email address
- Explore the use of MailTester to verify the existence of an email address by checking against SMTP servers
- Gain insight into Rocketreach as a highly recommended tool for retrieving personal contact details from LinkedIn profiles

Connect with John Egan on LinkedIn: [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jwegan/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jwegan/Een)

How Managers Hire Great Engineers [Part 18] - Going Above & Beyond

Top engineers can be insanely hard to close, especially as you're often competing with FAANG for them. From this lesson, you will:

- Learn the importance of building a personal relationship with candidates throughout the interview process to increase the chances of closing them successfully
- Discover strategies for multiple touchpoints, such as sending personal emails from the team or senior leaders, to make candidates feel valued and wanted
- Understand how unique gestures like meeting in person or sending personalized gifts can significantly enhance the candidate's experience and likelihood of accepting the offer

Connect with John Egan on LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/jwegan/>

Why Engineering Manager Interviews Are Hard

If you want direct interview support from Alex and Uzair, take their live Maven course with discount code **TARO10**: <https://maven.com/alex-kliotzkin/acing-em-interviews>

Many engineers find EM interviews difficult because they lack direct experience with the interview process, often having been promoted internally or being out of practice. The expectations for EM roles center around leadership, strategy, and stakeholder management rather than technical execution.

- **Limited Interview Experience:** Most engineering managers either transition through internal promotions or haven't interviewed for years, leading to a lack of familiarity with the process.
- **Different Decision-Makers and Focus:** Unlike IC roles, EM interview decisions are made by senior leadership who prioritize business strategy, people management, and stakeholder alignment over technical details.
- **Behavioral Focus:** Behavioral rounds dominate the EM interview process (about 80%) because they assess how candidates handle adversity and complex interpersonal dynamics.
- **No “LeetCode” for EM Interviews:** The subjective nature of these interviews makes it difficult to prepare using standard methods—there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to practicing answers.
- **Feedback is Rare and Vague:** Candidates often don't receive clear rejection reasons, leaving them uncertain about what to improve or how well their responses aligned with expectations.

How Managers Hire Great Engineers [Part 24] - Recommended Tools

Many tools need to come together for a successful hiring campaign. From this lesson, you will:

- Learn about key tools for recruitment: LinkedIn Premium for unlimited profile searches, Mixmax and Ashby for email scheduling and outreach, and RocketReach for obtaining personal email addresses
- Understand how AI could change recruitment practices by automating personalized outreach, potentially making it more challenging to stand out among recruiters
- Recognize the importance of adapting strategies, such as increasing in-person engagements, to maintain effectiveness in recruitment as AI evolves

Connect with John Egan on LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/jwegan/>

How Managers Hire Great Engineers [Part 25] - Conclusion

Congratulations on making it to the end of the course! Please go and hire awesome people now :) 

Connect with John Egan on LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/jwegan/>

The How of the Engineering Career Ladder: Five Essential Foundations for Advancement

Session led by [Shine Garg](https://www.linkedin.com/in/shinegarg/)

Engineering career ladders lay out the “what” of the software engineering career path—what competencies and behaviors are needed at each milestone. However, they often lack guidance on the “how.”

Understanding how—and how quickly—you can acquire and exhibit these competencies significantly impacts your career trajectory, financial future, and sense of fulfillment in life.

This talk demystifies the process of climbing the engineering career ladder. Join us to learn the five essential foundations for advancing your career and achieving your goals.

Become An Engineer Influencer [Part 18] - Limiting Beliefs

IC9 Expectations

In this lesson, **Adam Ernst**, Software Engineer at **Meta**, shares how his mindset evolved after reaching the highest levels of the Individual Contributor career path. Rather than obsessing over whether his work was "IC9-level," Adam explains why he stopped measuring success by job expectations and instead focused on solving meaningful problems. He discusses the importance of trusting feedback from managers, staying aligned with organizational priorities, and pursuing work that is both impactful and personally motivating.

- **Stop Chasing the Title, Start Solving Problems:** Adam believes that constantly worrying about whether your work is "senior enough" is counterproductive. Instead, focus on delivering meaningful solutions to the most important problems facing your organization.
- **Use Feedback as a Course Correction:** Regular check-ins with your manager help ensure you're investing your time in high-impact work. Honest performance feedback should be viewed as guidance to adjust direction—not as a measure of personal worth.
- **Do Work You Enjoy:** Adam attributes much of his long-term success to working on problems he genuinely enjoys. By aligning personal interests with organizational priorities, engineers can produce their best work without becoming consumed by the pressure of meeting a particular career level.

Original podcast link: [**https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA_OYJF3Mmw**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA_OYJF3Mmw)

Algorithms You Must Master

In this section, we get a clear roadmap of the **core algorithms** we need to master for ML algorithm coding interviews. These are foundational models that balance simplicity with depth—perfect for testing both theory and implementation skills under time pressure.

- For **clustering**, we should be able to implement **k-means from scratch**, including centroid initialization, assignment, recomputation, and convergence checks. We should also understand evaluation metrics like inertia and silhouette score.
- For **linear models**, we must code **linear and logistic regression** with gradient descent, using proper loss functions and optionally adding **L1/L2 regularization**.
- For **tree-based methods**, we should implement a **basic decision tree**, and if time allows, understand how **random forests** build on it using bagging and bootstrapping.
- In **k-nearest neighbors**, we focus on **distance calculations** (Euclidean vs. cosine) and how to retrieve the top-k neighbors for a query point.
- Lastly, for **neural networks**, we should know how to build a **simple feedforward network** with one or two hidden layers and train it using **backpropagation**, including activation functions like ReLU and sigmoid, along with their gradients.

By preparing these specific algorithms, we’ll be equipped to handle most ML algorithm coding interviews with confidence and precision.

If you want to learn even more from Yayun:

- Book 1 on 1 career guidance with her here: [**https://calendly.com/your-friend-yayun/1on1**](https://calendly.com/your-friend-yayun/1on1)
- Follow her on LinkedIn: [**https://www.linkedin.com/in/yayunjin/**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/yayunjin/)

Taro Book Club: Designing Data Intensive Applications - Chapter 7 (Transactions)

Topic: Chapter 7 - Transactions

Session lead by [**Raj Shah**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/therajshah/), [**Raghu Kalyan**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/graghukalyan/), and [**Kevin Wu**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/wkevn/) 

In this #taro-bookclub discussion, we're having a session about Chapter 7 of [**"Designing Data-Intensive Applications"**](https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Data-Intensive-Applications-Reliable-Maintainable/dp/1449373321) by Martin Kleppmann.

Here's the agenda:

- We’ll break down and discuss the key concepts from Chapter 7
- There will also be time for any questions and answers you might have

Get ready for another engaging and informative session!

The Case FOR Big Tech

We outline scenarios where Big Tech can be a highly advantageous career move—especially for early-career engineers or those seeking financial security and stability.

- **Ideal for Early-Career Engineers**: Big Tech provides a strong engineering foundation for those just out of college or with limited experience. Newer engineers are more adaptable to the culture and expectations.
- **Higher Workload Tolerance**: Younger professionals often have the energy and flexibility to handle the demanding pace and longer hours that come with Big Tech roles.
- **Minimal Habits to Unlearn**: Junior engineers aren’t “programmed” with habits from less rigorous environments, making it easier for them to succeed in fast-paced, high-standard teams.
- **Excellent Compensation**: For those with high financial needs—whether due to family obligations or living in expensive cities—Big Tech offers some of the most competitive compensation packages, including equity.
- **Job Stability**: These companies offer consistent employment for high performers, making them a good choice for those with lower risk tolerance who prefer predictability.

Maximize Your Equity And Benefits In Tech [Part 18] - Liquidity And Workarounds

Accessing retirement funds early can be tricky, but there are some strategic exceptions. Here’s the core points from the lesson:

- Withdrawing from 401(k)s or pre-tax IRAs before age 59.5 typically triggers a 10% penalty, though exceptions exist for things like first-time home purchases, disability, or high medical costs
- Roth IRA contributions (not earnings or conversions) can be withdrawn at any time, penalty- and tax-free, while Roth conversions require a five-year wait before penalty-free access
- Strategies like the Roth conversion ladder or 72(t) withdrawals (Substantially Equal Periodic Payments) can help bridge the gap if retiring before 59.5
- If you leave your job at 55 or older, you can take penalty-free withdrawals from that employer’s 401(k), and possibly from other plans rolled into it

Next steps with Andy:

- [Connect with Andy on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/andymoranio)
- [Leave feedback and/or sign up for Andy’s newsletter](https://subscribepage.io/taroequitycourse)
- [Schedule a consultation](http://adastrafp.com/contact-us/)

Be Very Visible

In this lesson, we focus on the importance of visibility in the IC–manager relationship by making sure our EM always knows what we’re doing, where we’re succeeding, and where we need help.

- We emphasize assuming our EM has *no idea* what we’re working on; their schedule is chaotic, especially for high-performing managers, so visibility must come from us.
- We recommend over-communicating: CCing them on major updates, posting milestones publicly, and adding them as optional attendees to key meetings so they can see our impact firsthand.
- We note that joining high-stakes meetings (like SEV investigations) gives managers direct visibility into our leadership, problem-solving, and alignment skills.
- We highlight that 1:1s are the most valuable channel for surfacing wins, blockers, and complex problems that require “manager API powers.”
- We reinforce that visibility builds organizational reputation and that one of the traits managers value most is strong communication, where bad news early is fine, but surprising bad news is not.

Ship & Grow 500k+ User Side Projects [Part 13] - Observe Your Users

If you're at this point in the course, you now deeply understand why feedback is great. However, the vast majority of users simply won't provide you with feedback. This lesson teaches you:

- How most end-users will behave with your side project (and any product really)
- What you should do proactively to extract signal from as many users as possible
- Important metrics to track when observing your users
- A great free tool you can use to see exactly how users are interfacing with your product

You can try PostHog here: <https://posthog.com/>

How Managers Hire Great Engineers [Part 23] - Building Relationships

Social capital is incredibly important when hiring. From this lesson, you will:

- Learn about the importance of building relationships in recruitment, similar to how VCs generate deal flow
- Discover the strategy used by Benjamin Nazad, who leveraged academic directories to network with potential contacts in the VC industry
- Understand that cultivating relationships with each candidate can significantly enhance the likelihood of closing them during the hiring process
- Recognize the long-term value of maintaining relationships even when there are no immediate job openings, facilitating quicker recruitment when positions become available

Connect with John Egan on LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/jwegan/>

Amazon Behavioral Interview [Part 18] - Handling Unclear Expectations From Leadership (Evaluation)

This video segment provides feedback on an individual's response to a behavioral interview question about navigating conflicting priorities.

- **Strengths:**

  - **Acknowledged the Challenge:** The interviewee effectively described the challenging situation of balancing conflicting demands from leadership: driving customer satisfaction while maintaining employee engagement.
  - **Highlighted Key Actions:** They mentioned implementing strategies to improve customer satisfaction, such as focusing on key metrics like CSAT and time to resolution.
  - **Acknowledged Limitations:** The interviewee honestly acknowledged the limitations of their efforts, such as the loss of a valuable employee due to the challenging work environment.

- **Areas for Improvement:**

  - **Focus on Employee Engagement:** While the interviewee mentioned some efforts to improve employee morale, such as virtual happy hours, they could have further emphasized their proactive steps to address employee concerns and improve engagement.
    - This could include:
      - Implementing regular feedback mechanisms (e.g., surveys, one-on-one meetings).
      - Advocating for employee well-being initiatives.
      - Proactively addressing employee concerns and seeking solutions.
  - **Quantify Impact:** Instead of stating that they were "semi-successful," the interviewee could have quantified their impact by:
    - Describing specific improvements in employee engagement scores.
    - Highlighting successful initiatives that improved both customer satisfaction and employee morale.
  - **Demonstrate Proactive Problem-Solving:** The interviewee could have further emphasized their proactive problem-solving skills by:
    - Describing how they identified the root cause of the conflicting demands.
    - Explaining how they developed and implemented innovative solutions to address the challenges.
    - Highlighting how their actions led to positive and lasting change within the team and organization.

- **Overall:** The interviewee provided a solid foundation for their response. By incorporating the suggested improvements, they can further enhance their ability to effectively communicate their accomplishments and demonstrate their leadership, problem-solving, and results-oriented approach in a job interview setting.

Learn more about Alan's job search program, Kadima Careers, using this [discount link](https://signup.kadimacareers.com/mQBsDvu).

Selling for Technical Founders (B2B)

Session led by [Karthik Balachandran](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbalachandran/)

This session is for technical founders, CTOs, and soon-to-be entrepreneurs looking to enhance their B2B selling skills.

Customer behavior is rapidly changing. Your ability to sell effectively is as crucial as the technology itself. Recognizing this expectation shift and the skill gap, we're excited to announce this session: "B2B Selling for Technical Founders"

We will cover:

- Understand the latest trends in B2B sales
- Common mistakes made by technical founders
- Building effective sales strategies

Whether you're in the early stages of your startup or looking to scale, this session will equip you with the knowledge and tools to drive your sales efforts forward.\
\
Event Page: <https://www.jointaro.com/event/selling-for-technical-founders-b2b/>

Taro Book Club: Designing Data Intensive Applications - Chapter 5 (Replication)

Topic: Chapter 5 - Replication

Session led by: [Rohit Katyal](https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohitkatyal/)

In this #taro-bookclub discussion, we'll be talking about Chapter 5 of [**"Designing Data-Intensive Applications"**](https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Data-Intensive-Applications-Reliable-Maintainable/dp/1449373321) by Martin Kleppmann.

Here's the agenda:

- Let’s get to know each other with some quick introductions.
- We’ll break down and discuss the key concepts from Chapter 5.
- There will also be time for any questions and answers you might have.

Please send your questions ahead of time to [**Rohit Katyal**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohitkatyal/) in the [**Taro Premium**](https://www.jointaro.com/membership/) Slack, so that they can be included in the discussion.

Get ready for another engaging and informative session!

Tech Career Growth Videos

Our instructional videos provide software engineers with insights needed for career growth. Masterclasses go incredibly in-depth on a specific tech topic while case studies are real examples from established engineering leaders.